Austrian Airlines has become the only airline to operate a daily service between Manchester Airport and Vienna.

The service to the Austrian capital, on the banks of the river Danube, began last week.

Welcoming the first passengers at Manchester Airport, Christian Schindler, Lufthansa Group Regional Director for the UK, Ireland & Iceland said: “This service has been added to our schedule to meet the demand of our passengers.

"Over the last few years Vienna became the number one onward connection destination for Lufthansa passengers departing from Manchester so it was logical for us to offer direct flights.

"This not only reduces the travelling time for the passengers but will also increase the number of seats available for other passengers wanting to access the Lufthansa network through or hubs at Frankfurt and Munich.

“It means that for the first time ever all carriers of the Lufthansa Airline Group are available at Manchester.

"In addition to providing a point to point service to one of Europe’s most frequently visited cities, the new flight also increases the connection options for customers in the north of England.

"The minimum onward connection time through Vienna is just 25 minutes. So with the choice of Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna and Brussels they have now have total access to the 321 destinations in 103 countries in our worldwide network.”